ALDS Game 2: Yankees Host the Twins

Yankees Look to Take 2-0 Lead in ALDS

The New York Yankees took an early 1-0 lean in this year’s ALDS matchup with the AL Central champions, the Minnesota Twins. Game 2 will be Saturday in the Bronx, beginning at 5:07 PM ET on Fox Sports 1. The Yankees will also be looking to post their 12th straight postseason win over the Twins as well.

New York rolled to a 10-4 victory in the series opener to match the major-league record for most consecutive playoff wins over a single opponent. The record was set by the Boston Red Sox, who dominated the Angels from 1986-2008 .

D.J. LeMahieu went 3-for-5 with a homer and four RBI’s. Brett Gardner also went deep. Gleyber Torres hit a tie-breaking two-run double in the fifth inning to break it open. New York drew eight walks to go along with eight hits in Game 1. “I feel like we did a really of job of getting on base and working good counts, and getting those counts in our favor,” LeMahieu said in a post-game television interview.

The Twins on Friday set a dubious record by suffering their 14th consecutive playoff loss. Their last win came against the Yankees in the opening game of the 2004 ALDS.

Yankees scheduled Saturday starter Masahiro Tanaka is 5-0 with a 2.27 ERA in five career starts against Minnesota. He has stymied slugger Nelson Cruz (3-for-27, nine strikeouts).

This, That, and a Dart Throw

The Twins are going out on a limb with this selection. They are choosing an inexperienced rookie to take the hill. The 24-year-old Dobnak has just 28-1/3 major-league innings under his belt. It certainly came as a surprise when the rookie was announced as the starter after Game 1.

“In this ballpark, the guy that throws the ball and keeps it on the ground pretty well was a good guy to look to,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said in his postgame press conference. “Dob has been throwing the ball great for us, so I thought it makes sense.” Dobnak got married last Saturday as neither he nor his bride envisioned he be thrust into the spotlight of the American League playoffs. Particularly with him beginning the season at Single-A Fort Myers.

It is no surprise the Yankee rotation was set up for Tanaka to pitch at home. Especially after he went 8-3 with a 3.10 ERA in 16 starts at Yankee Stadium this season. That was compared to 3-6 with a 6.05 ERA in 16 appearances (15 starts) on the road.

“Honestly, I haven’t really thought about that, about being better at home and not so much away,” Tanaka told reporters through an interpreter. “I just go out there and try to give out the best performance that I have on that given day, but that said, I think you sort of feed off from the energy of our home crowd, and that may be something that kind of gives you a little boost on your performance.” Tanaka owns a 1.01 career WHIP in 35-2/3 innings against Minnesota.